Northeast student leader allegedly attacked in Bangalore for not speaking in Kannada

Bangalore, Oct 15 :
An engineering student from the northeastern state of
Manipur was attacked in Bangalore last night by men who allegedly
demanded that he "speak in the local Kannada language or get lost".

Michael
Lamjathang Haokip, who heads a Manipuri students' body, alleges that he
and his friends were standing near a food stall when they were attacked
with stones by the men. The attackers allegedly demanded to know why
they were speaking in English.

"They said you are eating
Karnataka food, living in Karnataka. You should speak Kannada or else
get lost. They were speaking in Kannada...we nodded and they took it as
an insult. They picked up stones and attacked us and I got injured,"
said the 26-year-old, who was badly hurt in his head.

"I don't
know if those three hit us because they were drunk. Just because I am
living in Karnataka doesn't mean I have to speak Kannada," he added.

A case of assault has been registered and the three attackers have been arrested.

Boxing
champion Mary Kom, who is in Bangalore for a marathon event, was among
those who reacted with anger at the assault on a student from her state.

"I
don't feel good listening to such news. There should be unity and peace
in our country, so that such incidents don't repeat," Mary Kom said.

The
incident took place after midnight in the city's Kothanur area, home to
a large number of students from other parts of the country.

Michael
has alleged in his police complaint that a crowd that was watching the
commotion supported the attackers. He was allegedly chased by a mob till
he reached a police station.

The Bangalore police say they are trying to confirm whether this was a hate crime or a case of drunken behavior.